


The Leading Generation

by raendown



Series: NarutoCouplesWeek2018 [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Age Swap, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 08:52:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13807791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raendown/pseuds/raendown
Summary: In which Tobirama and Izuna are the older two and Tobirama has a crush on his friend's younger brother.





	The Leading Generation

“We’ll be the heads of our clans one day, we can make it happen! Once we’re in charge everyone will have to listen to us and do as we say. So we’ll just say to make peace!”

It had been years since he’d heard Izuna speak those words, years since the two of them were young boys skipping rocks by the river. Sometimes he wondered how things might have been different if he had been stupid enough to try and hide his heritage from his new friend or if he hadn’t been observant enough himself to tell what clan Izuna had been born in to. Would they have the same easy happiness as they did now?

No matter how many years went by the two of them had never given up on their dreams, never stopped meeting by the river to plan the future in which they would finally bring a stop to the pointless hatred and war that besieged both of their peoples. A more careless pair might have been caught or followed. Luckily Tobirama was a genius, not to mention a powerful sensor even before his age had reached double digits. Hiding their continued meetings hadn’t been the easiest thing in the world but it had been far from the hardest either.

All of that had led to where they were today, standing on the same cliff they had sat upon in their childhood and looking out over the village they had both dreamed of, now a reality. Just as Izuna had once told him, the very moment they both stood at the head of their respective clans they had agreed upon peace and brought an end to the senseless deaths. It hadn’t been easy by any means but it was certainly something worth fighting for.

Tobirama was pulled from his wistful contemplation by the sound of rapid footsteps and a familiar voice calling out to him. He turned, forcing his face to look stern instead of giddy.

“What is it Hashirama?”

“Tobi!” Feet churning up dirt and rock, his younger brother only just managed to stop before he went plummeting over the edge of the cliff. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the meeting with the clan heads? Hi Izuna!”

“Hello you two,” Izuna returned the greeting as his own little brother approached as well, looking as spiky and grumpy as he usually did.

“Brother,” Tobirama said, “how many times have I asked you to use my full name?”

“Sorry Anija!” Hashirama grinned, not really looking very sorry at all. With a shake of his head, Tobirama let the matter drop.

“You’re correct, however. I should be preparing for the meeting.”

Izuna pursed his lips, looking back and forth between the village and the long set of stairs he would need to climb down to get back home as he visibly contemplated how much effort the long descent would take. Eventually he shook his head and tucked his hands back in to the voluminous sleeves of his traditional purple robes.

“Go ahead without me for now. I don’t think I’m quite ready to head down just yet.”

“Are you sure you’re not just feeling lazy?” Madara asked in a snarky tone. Izuna raised one eyebrow at his little brother.

“Just for that, you can escort Tobirama back down the mountain.”

Madara’s protests came in the form of enraged choking noises. Tobirama’s was much clearer. “I hardly require an escort,” he said.

From the way his friend turned that raised brow at him, he could tell that the offer was in no way meant for his protection. Tobirama cursed the day he had admitted to the crush he had on his friend’s younger sibling. He should have known that such information would only ever be used against him in the most embarrassing ways possible.

But that was all it was of course; just a crush! He certainly hadn’t spent any significant amounts of time staring at the man and wondering how it would feel to hold him close or what sounds he would make if Tobirama kissed him in just the right places. Such imaginings were for people who might have developed feelings of some sort and Tobirama had no intention whatsoever of developing feelings any more serious than a crush. Not when he had a village to run and no time to earn Madara’s affections properly.

Huffing in tandem, the two of them spun around with equally melodramatic tosses of their heads. Madara’s was slightly more impressive by virtue of the great mane of hair falling down his back but Tobirama chose not to pay attention to that. As they both stomped off, Hashirama waved at them and declared his intentions to stay and view the village from up high like he had come up here to do, thus leaving them painfully alone as they headed down towards their new home.

Neither of them spoke at first. The entirety of the giant staircase would take them twenty minutes to climb down at this pace and they spent the first five in complete silence. Both of them kept their faces turned forwards and where normally he would enjoy the companionable silence, now Tobirama found that it chaffed. He wished he knew what to say to Madara to open up a conversation where they might get to know each other better but he hadn’t a clue where to start. As much as he privately adored the younger man’s recalcitrant personality, it did have a tendency to make speaking to him difficult.

“Congratulations.”

It was spoken so low, muttered almost reluctantly, that for a second Tobirama thought he might have imagined it. Blinking, he looked over to see that his companion was glaring straight ahead of himself, a brilliant red blush covering his entire face until he looked more like some sort of sentient tomato than a human being. It was quite possibly the most adorable thing Tobirama had ever seen.

“While I appreciate the sentiment, I’m not sure what I’m being congratulated for,” he admitted after taking the time to admire the sight beside him. Madara huffed and crossed his arms, all but stomping down each step.

“Everyone knows you’re going to win the election to be Hokage. I was _trying_ to be _nice_.”

“Ah, I see.” Tobirama had to bite his lip for a moment to contain himself, trying to decide how to respond to that.

For a few steps they continued walking and Tobirama watched his companion from the corner of his eye, observing the way the younger kept peeking over in his direction and looking away quickly with an even darker blush each time. While it couldn’t be said that he was at all a graceful blusher, Tobirama could feel his heart beating faster with fondness anyway.

Reaching one of the plateaus breaking up the endless staircase, Tobirama slowed his steps as he came to a snap decision to take a wild chance as he was so well known for. Madara looked back at him with cautious curiosity and then gasped in surprise when he was pressed backwards against the wall of dirt and rock behind him. His eyes were wide, tracking every motion as Tobirama raised one hand to swipe some of his hair aside and tuck it behind his ears.

“You have such a lovely face and yet you let your hair cover it so often,” he noted. Madara gaped at him.

“W-what?”

“You know, if I am to be Hokage then I will need someone strong to stand at my side.”

“I guess. What does that have to do with me?”

As he leaned ever closer, Tobirama could hear Madara’s breath hitch just the tiniest bit. He watched as the younger man’s tongue darted out to wet his lips and wanted nothing more than to taste that tongue with his own.

So close to the one which he had been yearning for that he could almost taste it, Tobirama smiled softly and made his gamble. “It would make me very happy if you were that person.”

“Me!?”

“Of course. Do you see anyone else here whom I might be speaking to?”

“No.” Madara licked his lips again. “Would you really want someone like me?”

“Yes, I would.” Tobirama made sure to infuse his voice with as much confidence as possible, despite the nervous fluttering of his heart. After so long thinking that he would never be able to turn Madara’s head, seeing the flush of pleasure on the younger man’s face was an incredible feeling.

Dark eyes fixed on his as though he held all the answers of the universe, silently begging him to go on and say something more. Tobirama was more than happy to oblige that enraptured gaze. He felt rather enraptured himself.

“May I kiss you, Madara?” he asked in a low voice.

“Gods yes,” came the whispered reply.

With a gentle smile that in no way conveyed the wild emotions running rampant inside him, Tobirama leaned down the few inches separating them and pressed his lips against Madara’s for the first time. He tasted sweet, like the dango he insisted he hated yet always snacked on when he thought no one was looking. Their chests pressed together and Tobirama couldn’t help but to wind his arms around the younger man and pull him closer, delighted by how warm he was.

Madara appeared to have no problems with this, pushing forward in to his hold and parting his lips to allow Tobirama to dart his tongue inside and deepen the kiss. Fingers twisted in to clothing and hair as the two of them clung to each other.

Their kiss was broken slowly, coming to a natural end and leaving them staring in to each other’s eyes with matching expressions of dazed pleasure. Neither of them seemed to want to move away from the side of the cliff. Tobirama leaned down to press one more soft kiss against Madara’s lips before straightening without breaking their embrace, smiling happily.

“Will you stand at my side, Madara?” he asked.

“As what?”

“As my partner, of course. My equal in all things. As my companion, the one who holds my heart, and the man I hope to spend the rest of my days with.”

“Oh. Wow.” Madara breathed. “Yes, I would be honored.”

Tobirama touched the other man’s chin gently, tracing the shape of his jaw. “But would you be happy?”

His partner only nodded, lost for words and unable to find any answer beyond leaning up to draw him in to a yet another kiss, conveying his feeling without the entanglements of words. More than happy to follow that line of thought, Tobirama leaned in to the embrace and kissed him back with all the fervor he’d been holding at bay for quite some time now.

Soon there would be a vote and the village would name either himself or Izuna as the first Hokage of Konohagakure, his childhood dream come true. Both of them deserved it, although he personally felt that he was just a little bit better suited to this sort of thing than his old friend. Whether they placed that burden on his shoulders or not, however, Tobirama would be happy with his lot so long as he could keep Madara by his side for the foreseeable future.


End file.
